


Lacrima

by Makemegray



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-09-13
Updated: 2009-09-29
Packaged: 2017-10-12 18:24:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/127746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Makemegray/pseuds/Makemegray
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>After a year of working on this, this is my answer to one of the prompts that Vanny <a href="http://midnightcolor.livejournal.com/profile"><img/></a><a href="http://midnightcolor.livejournal.com/"><strong>midnightcolor</strong></a> gave me when I first started writing KHR fics. It's so huge and has taken so long that I've separated it into two parts. I think it'll be fairly obvious but it's worth mentioning that the division in the two parts also notes a significant amount of time between the writing of them. As such, my writing style has changed slightly. As for the prompt, I deleted the pm that originally had it like a dumbass but it was something along the lines of "Yamamoto is getting married to a woman and Gokudera is jealous" with the added requirement that Yamamoto has to cry somewhere in the fic.</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. La Prima Parte

**Author's Note:**

> After a year of working on this, this is my answer to one of the prompts that Vanny [](http://midnightcolor.livejournal.com/profile)[**midnightcolor**](http://midnightcolor.livejournal.com/) gave me when I first started writing KHR fics. It's so huge and has taken so long that I've separated it into two parts. I think it'll be fairly obvious but it's worth mentioning that the division in the two parts also notes a significant amount of time between the writing of them. As such, my writing style has changed slightly. As for the prompt, I deleted the pm that originally had it like a dumbass but it was something along the lines of "Yamamoto is getting married to a woman and Gokudera is jealous" with the added requirement that Yamamoto has to cry somewhere in the fic.

  
  
  
  
  


**Entry tags:**

| 

  
[8059](http://filthypages.livejournal.com/tag/8059), [character: gokudera hayato](http://filthypages.livejournal.com/tag/character%3A%20gokudera%20hayato), [character: yamamoto takeshi](http://filthypages.livejournal.com/tag/character%3A%20yamamoto%20takeshi), [pairing: yamamoto/gokudera](http://filthypages.livejournal.com/tag/pairing%3A%20yamamoto%2Fgokudera), [series: khr](http://filthypages.livejournal.com/tag/series%3A%20khr)  
  
  
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Ostensibly, this is because he'd fucked up. He was sitting here, attending the engagement party of the fucking love-of-his-life and some ditsy Palomino broad he'd picked up in between missions because he'd fucked up by not saying so.

Fucking typical, he finally comes to terms with his feelings, is finally comfortable that yeah, fuck, he's gay for the bastard and is more than a little head over heels for him and just as he's finally gotten up the damn nerve to _fucking confess_ , he hears from the Tenth that Yamamoto's proposed.

And fucking life and the cocksucking bitch that is fate, who does he pick to be his best man? His boss? No, Tenth's officiating. The dumbass chooses, of all the fucking people in the world and in the family, the guy he's been fucking for the past decade or so. Brilliant.

And so there Gokudera sat, nursing his....8th(? 9th?) glass of wine and wishing for something fucking stronger. Wishing he hadn't been raised on the stuff, wishing he didn't have some sort of goddamn godgiven immunity to the stuff so he could drink a bottle or 5 and be wasted off his ass and pass out instead of only getting a little tipsy. If that wasn't some fucking divine punishment right there, then the word needed a new definition.

It didn't take long for some brilliant fucker to get the notion that he might be depressed about something and that he might want someone to talk to about it because he might be dampening the mood of this happy fucking occasion with his lack luster congratulations and his little black storm cloud.

"Hayato..." He looked up blearily from his...(tenth...must of been his tenth! One for every boss!) glass to see his sister glaring down at him. His stomach lurched only a little as he peered back at her....both of her...(hmm...maybe he needed his glasses more often now if he was getting double-vision. He slipped them on. Good! There were only 3 of her now!)

"A-aneki! How have you been! Hows Reborn-san? What brings you here? I thought you were in Firenze?" She arched an eyebrow and sat down on the bar stool next to him, appropriating his drink and sipping from it, ignoring his whine of protest.

"...An Alliance with the Palomino could be a very good thing for Vongola..." Gokudera scoffed and lit a cigarette, hesitantly handing the stick to Bianchi when she held a hand out then lighting another for himself.

They smoked in silence for a few moments, watching the party at the other end of the pub (Ryohei with a bloody nose was trying to get a Hibari with a tonfa raised to make out with him), before the elder sibling decided to change tactics.

"We're a pretty fucked up group of people, huh?" Another snort from her brother "I'm serious! As a whole, Mafioso, especially people who've been born and raised in this life. Emotionally, spiritually, romantically, everything."

"Thanks for the pep talk..." She sighed in frustration before turning to him with a glare.

"Hayato! He's _not_ happy!"

"...I think you need glasses..." He replied, tilting his chin at a smiling baseball idiot with his arm slung around the shoulders of his giggly blond bitch.

"Of course he's happy at the moment, all the drinking he's been doing? I mean....when the hell have you ever seen him drink more than a glass of wine at dinner? That's vodka!"

A drag of the cigarette as he rolled his eyes toward her.

"Your point is? The moron finally found something to drink to." He stole his glass back and raised it in the direction of the couple briefly before draining it. "More power to him, I don't care anymore...Waste of my fucking time when I should have been protecting Tenth instead." He sighed and picked his coat from where he'd folded it over the back of the chair averting his gaze from the sight that honestly made him want to throw up right there. "Is there anything else you'd like to scold me about or am I free to go?"

"...If you're feeling so bitter about it, why don't you fucking do something instead of sitting here drinking and sulking like some heartbroken schoolgirl?!"

"...That's a damn good question. Trust me you'll be the first to know when I figure it out."

It was another three days before he could be coaxed out of his apartment again.

Voice hoarse from copious drinking and smoking and disuse, he opened the door to one extremely fucking enthusiastic Sun Guardian who took one look at him and loudly (very loudly, Had Gokudera's ears ringing for an hour) exclaimed that this would _not_ do and shoved him in to the bathroom, threatening to keep him in there until he shaved and stopped looking and smelling like a hobo in a cheap bar and more like the Right-Hand Man of the Vongola Tenth.

"We're all _Extremely_ disappointed in you and Yamamoto!" Ryohei shouted through the bathroom door. "No ones seen him either since the party! Lambo's been sent to pick him up as well--There's a meeting that keeps getting postponed because both are you are so EXTREMELY depressed for some reason!"

Ha, now there was a laugh, Gokduera mused as he emerged from the shower (not because he was afraid of Ryohei's threats or anything like that. Of course not!) What in the world would the moron possibly have to be depressed about?! He was one of the underbosses in Italy's most prominent mafia family and had some beautiful, buxom blond (vapid) Italiana to hang on his every word for the rest of his life. What more could a guy possibly want?!

"Gabriela hasn't heard from him since then either." Ryohei replied when the question was posed. "He said he needed to see if you were alright and left not five minutes after you did. Everyone just assumed he'd found you when he didn't come back."

The silence on the other side of the door stretched on for a few minutes and Ryohei was ready to pound it down when a clean shaven (he knew his threat would work, Gokduera was such a pussy sometimes...) and showered Storm Guardian emerged from the room, heading towards his bedroom and pausing at the door.

"Lawn head..."He ignored the sigh of frustration and the beginning of a protest about the insult turned affectionate nickname "Do you think he'll be happy with her?"

Taken aback by the question, Ryohei thought about it for a moment, noting the knuckle-white grip the other had on the door frame.

"I think he'll be extremely _un_ -happy with her, Tako-head. Don't be stupid."

And if Ryohei didn't know any better, he would have sworn he heard a faintly muttered _grazie_ before the door was closed in his face.

"Haha! I don't know what you're talking about Tsuna! I'm perfectly fine! I was just a little under the weather for a few days! I already called Gabby and told her!"

Gokudera shot Ryohei a glare as they heard the voice on the way down the hallway to Tsuna's office, the latter of which only offered a smirk and a shrug in response as the former knocked on the door, barely waiting to be given permission before he entered.

"Tenth! I'm terribly sorry about my absence these past few days. I know feeling ill isn't an excuse to shirk my responsibilities." A sideways glare at Yamamoto who gave him that stupid ass shit-eating grin in response "So you can punish me anyway you see fit! Just say the word."

Tsuna raised an eyebrow and contemplated for a moment before gesturing to the seat in front of his desk not occupied by Yamamoto, which Gokudera quickly took.

"You're right, being ill is no excuse to abandon the family in times like these.....Maybe there should be some sort of punishment in order..." Tsuna ignored the stunned faces in front of them as he went on. He didn't really like deceiving them...but it was for their own good. If they weren't going to work through whatever their problems were then he'd just have to step in as the Boss and put a stop to them himself.

"I'll have to confer with the rest of the Guardians and Reborn about what they think would be the most appropriate course of action." He began as he stood up from his desk. "In the meantime,you'll wait here until I've made a decision based on their recommendations."

"Haha! Sure, Tsuna! Sorry!" Yamamoto laughed, hand sheepishly placed at the back of his head while Gokudera at least had the decency to bow his head and look properly ashamed.

"Yes, Tenth. Please accept my deepest apologies on the matter and I assure that it won't happen again."

"I should hope not..." Tsuna ominously as he left the room. Locking the door in a last ditch attempt to force some sort of resolution to happen.

Inside the room, when the silence got too much for Yamamoto, he took to sighing. Repeatedly. About every minute or so until about the eleventh sigh when Gokudera got fed up.

"What the fuck sword-moron?! What the hell do you want?!"

Yamamoto paused for a few moments, seeming to give the matter a lot of thought before he chuckled.

"Do you think the bridesmaids dressed should be knee-length or long? We can't agree."

Gokudera made sort of a distressed whining sound as he sunk deeper into his chair, desperately wishing for a cigarette but determined to stick to Tenth's ban on not smoking in the main house.

"Gabby thinks short dresses but I don't know..."

"..."Gokudera sighed and gave in, knowing that Yamamoto wouldn't leave him alone until he answered. "You can't have short dresses in a traditional Catholic wedding. It'll be considered wholly inappropriate."

"Ah...haha! She's not Catholic so I guess that works out, right?"

Gokudera turned to stare sharply at the other, snarl firmly in place.

"There was a point to having you all convert to Catholicism. Do you have any idea how much weight something like that carries here? Bad enough that the leader of the Primeri is Japanese, at least he's got some Italiano in him. But then his Guardians? A half-breed punk, 3 Japanese kids, A criminal and a baby. God save us, at least their Catholic! Oh wait...they're not?! Boom! CRASH! That, dumbass, is the sound of the alliance crumbling around our ears!"

"Haha! I really don't think it's as big a deal as you're making it out to be, Hayato."

Something about Yamamoto calling him by his first name when they weren't together anymore, had Gokudera squirming in his seat and flushing.

"That's just the problem." He grumbled, folding his arms and turning away. "You don't think! Maybe if you thought more often then we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place!"

All mirth quickly and noticeably left Yamamoto's face at that remark and he narrowed his eyes.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Why did you shut yourself in your room for three days?" Gokudera countered, sitting up and leveling a glare of his own.

"Why did you leave the party without saying anything?"

"Why did you propose to her out of the blue when you barely know her?"

"What difference does it make? You hate me don't you? Why do you even care?!"

"Because I don't hate you, moron!" Yamamoto's eyes widened at that and the flush that deepened across Gokudera's features as he averted his gaze once again.

"...What do you mean you don't hate me?"

"..."

Not in the mood for the usual games, Yamamoto grabbed Gokudera by the tie and yanked him forward, half into his lap.

"Ow! What the hell are you-"

"Answer me, Hayato! What do you mean you don't hate me?!"

"Don't order me around like you're my Boss or some shit! Let me the fuck go!"

After a few moments of futile struggle that did little more than emphasize the fact that Yamamoto was physically stronger than Gokudera and end up with the latter firmly trapped in the formers lap, arms pinned to his sides and back firmly pressed against his opponants chest, Gokudera gave up and sighed in defeat.

"...What the hell do you want me to say? Isn't the fact that I don't hate you enough?"

Yamamoto sighed and rested his head against Gokudera's shoulder, sounding just as exhausted as Gokudera did. Something which surprised the hell out the Italian, considering that this whole damn thing was the idiots in the first place.

"I just want you to tell me the truth."

"I just did!"

"Hayato..."

There was only another moments hesitation before Gokudera gave up, turning around as best as he could in the embrace and pressing his lips to Yamamoto's in a rough kiss until he ran out of breath.

"Fine. Fuck. I love you, is that what you want to hear? Go ahead and tell me what difference it makes now that you're getting fucking married in a week? Congradu-fucking-lations." He sat back and grumbled for a few more moments, reveling in Yamamoto's silence before he started struggling to get free again. "Now let me go so I can fucking let you go!"

"...Yeah."

  
 **_Now on to[ Part Two](http://filthypages.livejournal.com/3293.html)_ **   



	2. La Seconda Parte

  
  
  
  
  


**Entry tags:**

| 

  
[8059](http://filthypages.livejournal.com/tag/8059), [character: gokudera hayato](http://filthypages.livejournal.com/tag/character%3A%20gokudera%20hayato), [character: yamamoto takeshi](http://filthypages.livejournal.com/tag/character%3A%20yamamoto%20takeshi), [pairing:yamamoto/gokudera](http://filthypages.livejournal.com/tag/pairing%3Ayamamoto%2Fgokudera), [series: khr](http://filthypages.livejournal.com/tag/series%3A%20khr)  
  
  
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A week later, and Gokudera wasn't quite sure how to take it when Yamamoto wandered into _his_ bar.

It was the one place in the region that wasn't under control of the Vonogla or an ally and still managed to serve decent alcohol.

The one place where a family member seeking him out wouldn't think to look.

More than that, it was his sanctuary. The place where he could go to forget all the stupid shit he'd done recently.

The way he'd behaved, the things he'd said to the people he cared about. None of that existed here.

Until that laughing idiot walked in, plopped down on the bar stool next to him and ordered a Scotch on the rocks ( _His_ drink too! What the hell?!)

Gokudera couldn't help but snort at that as he went about drinking his own, watching out of the corner of his eye for Yamamoto to spit it out or something.

He was too drunk at this point to tell if he was disappointed or elated when Yamamoto swallowed it with barely a wince and continued to drink in silence until he finished it.

"You didn't come." He stated. It was at that point that Gokudera actually took notice of the tuxedo that Yamamoto was wearing.

The one that he'd helped the idiot pick out early in the planning stages of the wedding. Because he looked like far less of an idiot in Armani than whatever knock-off Yamamoto would have picked out himself.

"...." Gokudera took another moment to down his glass before replying, frown deepening. "I didn't think it would be appropriate.."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because you, like the idiot you are went and made me Best Man...what the hell were you thinking?"

"...I was thinking that you're like...my best friend aside from Tsuna....and since he was conducting the ceremony...You didn't seem so opposed to it in the beginning when you helped plan everything..."

Another frown and Gokudera really needed another drink right then.

"...I didn't want you to end up embarrassing the family. Serving sushi at the reception or something." A snort and he started in on his newest glass. "And honestly, how the fuck was I supposed to make a toast to you marrying someone else when I was just as likely to get jump and hop over the table to fucking fight her for the rings?"

"Ah...Haha, you want 'em? Here." Yamamoto responded, setting two bands down on the bar between them. One a simple gold band and the other a ridiculously diamond studded platinum band.

Gokudera looked back and forth from the rings to Yamamoto and back again, trying to decide which one he wanted to yell at first.

He chose Yamamoto.

"What the hell is that?!"

"Haha, Gabby's engagement and wedding rings!" Was the answer and Gokudera just couldn't resist slapping him.

"I know that, dumbass! I was with you when you bought them!! I'm asking you why they're here and not on Gabriela's fucking finger! And for that matter, what the hell are you doing here?! You're supposed to be getting married!!"

Another laugh and Yamamoto ordered them yet another round.

"Haha...I am aren't I?" The resigned tone had Gokudera's frown deepening even farther.

"....Moron....what did you do now?" That failed to produce another of those sheepish laughs and instantly set Gokudera on alert.

"...I walked out."

"...."

"Right before I was supposed to go and wait with Tsuna and the rest of the guys. You weren't there and I knew I just couldn't. Haha! It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. No one even tried to stop me!"

As Gokudera gaped again, there were more of those conflicting emotions.

The one where he wanted to choke the moron because of all the trouble this would cause the Tenth.

One that wanted to feel sorry for the idiots ex-fiancee...

And the loudest one of all that wanted to kiss Yamamoto even stupider and demand to be fucked immediately, right there against the bar.

He ignored them all and swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and asked the only question he could think of.

"How...um...How did you get these?" He gestured to the rings shakily and Yamamoto propped his elbow on the table, chin on his fist before answering.

"Well...you remember that I said no one tried to stop me?"

"...Yeah, and?"

"Haha! Neither did Gabby! I almost walked right past her before she called me! Then all she did was smile, hand me the rings back and kiss me on the cheek. I didn't have to say a word!"

Gokudera sat silently for a few moments before downing the rest of his glass and getting up from the bar stool, slowly collecting his suit jacket from the back of it and telling the bartender to put their drinks on his tab.

He didn't meet Yamamoto's questioning gaze as he slid the rings back over to the other Guardian, who pocketed them, nor did he answer the question about where he was going.

He just went.

The fact that Yamamoto was going to follow him was a given.

They walked down the darkening streets in silence for nearly a half-hour before it was Yamamoto's questions that needed answering.

"Why did you leave?"

"I was done drinking."

"...Was it something I said?"

"..." Gokudera lit a cigarette instead of replying and kept walking.

"...Hayato?"

A growl at the utterance of his first name and he stopped, rounding on Yamamoto, fists clenched at his sides to keep him from socking the idiot.

"What the hell do you expect me to do, _Takeshi_? Jump for joy that you broke the stupid girls heart?! That you've probably given half the family heart attacks or aneurysms or something? This is a fucking diplomatic nightmare, do you understand that?! Do you realize that this fucking stunt of yours could start a war?!"

He was close to hyperventilating by this point and didn't have the presence of mind over his anger to protest when Yamamoto took hold of his shoulders. And then wordlessly steered him to sit down on a bench along the seat, sitting next to him until he calmed down.

A few minutes later, Gokudera had settled down just enough for him to turn and slug Yamamoto across the jaw.

"Haha, ow!" Yamamoto replied, hand going up to rub the point of impact with a wince. "I really don't think-"

"No, you obviously fucking don't and that's the whole problem."

"...Well I don't _believe_ that things will be as bad as you think. Even Tsuna said it was best that if we didn't go through with it if I didn't think I would be able make things work. Said it was better to nip things in the bud, rip the bandage off quick if I knew before hand that I wasn't going to be happy."

Gokudera frowned again, remained silent and refused to let that stupid little emotion that he suspected was hope well up in his chest. He was much too practical a person for that.

It was already obvious that he'd screwed up with Yamamoto, no reason in the world to think that by calling off his marriage he'd been forgiven.

Screwed up so badly that it hadn't even taken a week for them to stop doing...whatever it was that they'd been doing that the Tenth had announced the idiots engagement at a strategy meeting.

It was just as well though obviously. If the moron and his woman had gotten to the point of marriage so quickly, it was obvious that they'd been seeing each other at the same time as he'd been seeing Gokudera.

They'd never had any sort of exlusivity agreement, true...but Gokudera had just figured that Yamamoto would be a sort of one-partner guy...

And Gokudera, who was pessimistic about monogamy on the best of days hadn't even--

Loud sniffling next to him inturrupted his train of thought and he turned to Yamamoto in shock.

"...What the fuck?! Are you _crying_?!" The sniffling quieted somewhat as Yamamoto brought his arm up to wipe his sleeve a across his eyes, doing practically nothing for the moisture still gathering in them.

Gokudera wasn't sure which terrified him more. The fact that Yamamoto was crying or the fact that he was the cause of it.

Because no matter how much he loathed to admit it, seeing the other in obvious pain just... _hurt_

He sighed and awkwardly patter the other on the back. So far out of his comfort zone that he couldn't do anything else.

When Yamamoto finally got a little more control over himself, when he stopped sniffling he told hold of Gokudera's hands tightly, staring down at them, frown creasing his bows between his blood-shot eyes.

"Hayato...could...you at least tell me what I did? So I can try and fix it?"

"...What you did?"

"Yeah...Haha..." One hand left Gokudera's and went to rub the back of his head, that familiar sheepish gesture as he looked up to meet the others eyes. His gaze hollow and painful and forced Gokudera's breath to catch in his throat before he got himself under control, with a frown.

"...What you did..."Gokudera snarled and yanked his hands from Yamamoto's standing to pace "How can you even ask me that?! You got _engaged_! Isn't that fucking enough?!"

It was Yamamoto's turn to frown, in confusing rather than anger.

"Yeah, I know...what does that have to do with anything?" Another one of those pained sounds of distress from the Storm Guardian before he flopped back on the bench, throwing his arms over his eyes.

"...Just when I think you can't be any stupider...." Yamamoto huffed and folded his arms.

"I don't see what Gabby has to do with any of this. One day things are fine and then I tell you..." He turned to Gokudera and grabbed his arms, yanking the other closer and forcing him to pay attention "I told you that I _loved_ you and you stopped talking to me for two weeks!"

"And what did you expect?! I was fucking scared!" Yamamoto relaxed his grip slightly, frown deepening.

"Scared? Of what? Didn't you know?"

"No I fucking didn't know!!"

"Oh..."

"Yeah, oh" Gokudera grumbled, wrenching away to retrieve his cigarettes from his pocket, lighting up and smoking in silence while Yamamoto seemed to brood next to him.

"...So..." Yamamoto began at length, when the silence began to overwhelm them. "What does Gabby have to do with this? I thought you broke up with me or something..."

"What the hell?" Gokudera growled, "Even if I had--which I fucking didn't!--it only takes you two weeks before you're getting married?! How long have you been seeing her?"

Yamamoto raised an eyebrow.

"...About three months." Yamamoto answered, stating the exact amount of time since the engagement had been announced.

"WHAT?!" Sensing that Gokudera was about to fly off in a spectacular rage, Yamamoto held his hands up placatingly.

"I mean, Tsuna only introduced us after you stopped talking to me! I didn't think there would be any harm accepting the engagement when you were obviously done with me!"

"...Accepting the engagement..."

"Well...The Palomino have been seeking an alliance with Vongola for years, but they're technically not in a position to seek one independently. They needed a marriage to solidify it and Gabby is the oldest daughter."

"..." Gokudera suddenly felt faint. "Yamamoto...Takeshi..."

"Uh...yeah?" He replaced his arms over his eyes, sinking further down the bench as he started to feel that stupid hope bubbling up in his chest again. He burned it out with a drag of his cigarette.

"Are you...trying to tell me...that this entire thing...That I've been stressing myself out...over an arranged marriage?"

Yamamoto's frown deepened.

"Of course, why else would I have been marrying her?" Another distressed sound and it suddenly clicked for Yamamoto. Just why Gokudera seemed quite so put out with him recently. "You thought..." Unbelievable "Hayato! Did you really think that I was the one who proposed to her?! You thought I was cheating on you or something?"

"How the hell should I know what to think! No one ever told me anything!"

Yamamoto blinked, laughed that airy laugh and sat back against the seat.

"Haha...because we all thought you knew...everyone else did..."

"Yeah well...now you know." Gokudera grumbled, tossing his cigarette away. "Fuck..."

"Fuck." Yamamoto agreed, before he leaned over and pressed his lips to the others. Infinitely relieved when he wasn't pushed away this time, when Gokudera grabbed him by the collar and deepened the kiss.

"...The next time you decide to do something stupid like this..."Gokudera began, when they broke for air. "I'm not going to ask questions before I choke the bitch."

"Haha...I suppose that's fair."

  
Bianchi was idly flipping through a wedding magazine when a pack of cigarettes was tossed onto the table. Her brand.

She followed the ringed fingers that had tossed them up to their owner, flushing with a petulant scowl on his face and avoiding her gaze.

"...Hayato."

"Tch...This doesn't mean I forgive you anything fucked up like that. Or that we can be all close and be a happy family or anything....This is just fucking thank you."

She appraised him through her sunglasses for a moment before gesturing to the seat across from her.

"Thank you for what?" Her brother fidgeted in his seat for a moment, still not looking directly at her.

"...What you said...at the..." He gritted his teeth "At the party." He looked at her now, scowling. "But you didn't fucking tell me it was all a sham! You could an end to all this right then and there!"

She raised and eyebrow and watched him. He was so obviously uncomfortable doing something like this. Seeking her out, coming out of his way to talk to her about something that wasn't related to the Vongola, actually being curteous. She hadn't known that he'd been paying that much attention to her to actually know what brand of cigarettes she smoked.

Though...she had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't all his doing that landed him here. Or that he seemed to have a permanent blush working as he fidgeted with one of his rings. One she didn't recall ever having seen before...

"So I take it you followed my advice?" He glared for a split second before he stopped fidgeting, folding his hands on the table.

"I took your advice." He looked instantly wary when she smiled at him. A slow, unfurling thing and one that he recognized from his childhood nightmares.

"That's a start then isn't it?"  



End file.
